Dad Is Just a Word
by quietandsneaky
Summary: I'm not quite sure the direction this story will take yet, but basically it gives my favorite Sue Thomas FBEye character a family.
1. Krista Manning

**Disclaimer: The characters of Sue Thomas FBEye do not belong to me. The character of Krista Manning does. **

**A/N: I've rediscovered my love for this show over the last few weeks. The character of Krista was an idea I had back when the show first aired, but I was too scared to write it. I'll **_**probably **_**add to this as I rewatch the show, but the updates might be infrequent. This chapter just gives Krista's background. Thanks!**

Sue walked into the office, the first one to arrive for work. Or so she thought. Sue was at her desk and beginning to work when she spotted someone sitting at Bobby's desk. It was a little girl, one Sue had never seen before. She looked to be about eight years old, with brown hair that curled at her shoulders. She was bent over working on something, something that involved crayons and colored pencils. Curious, Sue walked over and introduced herself.

"Hi."

The little girl looked up and smiled. "Hi."

"I'm Sue. What's your name?"

"Krista."

Sue was a little confused. "Kristy?"

"Krista." Krista repeated.

"Sorry." Sue said apologetically. "Could you spell it for me?"

"K-R-I-S-T-A." Krista said.

"Oh. Krista." Sue said. "That's a pretty name. Sorry I couldn't understand you. I'm deaf."

"Really? You can't hear me?" Krista asked. "How do you know what I'm saying?"

"I can look at your lips and read what you're saying." Sue explained. "But sometimes words get a little mixed up and I need some help."

"You can read my lips? Like a book?"

Sue smiled. "Never quite heard it that way, but that's exactly right."

"Wow. That's cool." Krista said. "Do you work with Bobby?"

"I do. Is that who you're here to see?"

"Yeah." Krista seemed to notice Levi for the first time. "Who's this?"

"That's Levi. He's my hearing dog. He helps me with things like someone getting my attention, the phone, the doorbell."

"Can I pet him? Is he friendly?"

"Levi's a big old teddy bear. I don't think he'd let me hear the end of it if you didn't." 

Levi eagerly took the invitation. He placed his front paws on the chair Krista sat in, whining slightly to get her to pet him. Krista gently rubbed his head, making Levi lick her hand gratefully. Levi soaked up the attention, and whined again when Krista suddenly jumped off the chair.

"Making friends, kiddo?"

"Bobby!" Krista ran to Bobby for a hug. She only came up to Bobby's waist, so he had to bend down to hug her back.

"Hey, my little ankle biter." Bobby said as he took his seat. "I guess you're stuck with me for a bit."

"That's okay."

"How about we go get you some breakfast and I'll call Mrs. Johnson?"

"Do you have to?" Krista begged, making the rest of the room, with the exception of Sue, laugh.

"I know she's a bit of a downer…"

"Bobby, please can I stay here? Jackie's only gone for today. Can I please stay here with Lucy?"

"I don't know, kiddo…"

Krista was smart. She knew exactly the way to tug at Bobby's heart and get him to bend to her will. She clasped both her hands together as if praying and begged.

"Pleeeeease?"

Bobby sighed and looked over to Lucy. "Luc?"

"It's okay with me. I love having her here."

"Alright, fine. One day, you hear me?"

"Yes!" Krista said, sharing a high five with Lucy at her accomplishment.

"Come on. Let's go get that breakfast."

As Krista walked out, holding Bobby's hand and talking the entire way, Sue turned towards the group. "Who's that?"

"That is Bobby's daughter." Jack explained.

"His daughter? I didn't know he had any kids." Sue said.

"It's a long, weird story." Jack said.

"But one she should know, now that she's gonna be part of us." Dimitrius said. "Bobby was married for a little while. To a nice lady that worked downstairs as a secretary named Lily."

"Krista's mom?" Sue guessed.

"Right." Dimitrius said. "When they met, Krista was four. Lily was in the middle of a divorce, but it was a real whirlwind romance. Six months after they met, they were married."

"Wow."

"Yeah. They were the perfect couple for a while. Krista absolutely fell in love with Bobby."

"Where's Krista's dad?" Sue asked. The mood in the room changed dramatically, and Sue looked from person to person. "What?"

"Lily got a call one night from Spencer."

"Spencer?" Sue asked.

"Her ex-husband. Krista's father." Myles explained.

"Spencer wasn't given any kind of custody or visitation when he and Lily got divorced." Jack said.

"Why not?"

"He would leave the two of them for days at a time, and he made a habit of taking out his frustrations with his hand on Krista's face. Of course, though, he would only do it when Lily wasn't around. Lily found out when a daycare teacher called DCF after Krista got in trouble and begged them not to call Spencer."

"He would hit her? At four?"

"She was three at that point." Jack said.

"So what happened?" Sue asked. "Why did Spencer call her?"

"He wanted to talk about seeing Krista, getting back into her life. Lily left Krista with Bobby and went to meet him."

"What happened?"

"They got into an argument. Spencer showed up drunk, Lily refused to talk to him, and she left to go back home to Bobby and Krista. Spencer followed her, shouted at her, and shot her dead in the street."

"Oh my God. Poor Bobby."

"Yeah." Jack said. "Bobby was devastated, but taking care of Krista gave him something to hold on to. He was already in the process of adopting her, and the rest is history."

"Wow." Sue said. "She's a really cute kid."

"She is. But, it's a good idea not to say anything about it when Bobby or Krista's around. It's still kinda raw for the both of them." Jack warned.

"Oh, of course." Sue said. "Thanks for telling me."

"Telling you what?" Bobby had come back inside. "Forgot my wallet." Before anyone could answer, Krista ran back inside and tapped on Bobby's knee, whispering something in his ear. "It's alright with me. Go ask her."

Krista walked over to Sue and grabbed her arm. "You wanna come to breakfast with us?" 

"Sue, take my word for it. It's easier to just say yes. If you don't, she'll but you 'till you do." Bobby said.

Sue smiled. "I would love to. Let's go."


	2. Flashback: Bobby Meets Krista

**A/N: I have to be up for work in three hours. But…insomnia, man. It sucks. After two hours of trying to sleep and not being able to, I decided to at least be productive. **

**I've tentatively decided on a format for this story. One chapter set during the Sue Thomas, FBEye series, featuring Bobby and Krista, followed by one chapter of a flashback to their life with Lily and maybe right after her death. That may change, but I don't see it doing so right now. **

**Flashback: Bobby Meets Krista for the First Time**

Lily laughed. Bobby had been pacing the room for ten straight minutes. _I love this man_, she thought to herself as she bit her bottom lip and watched how nervous he was. She couldn't believe how fast she'd met and fallen in love again after leaving Spencer. But Bobby made her laugh. Laugh until she forgot her fears, her problems, and her insecurities. She couldn't resist him. Her brain kept telling her that her relationship with Bobby was destined to fail. Her marriage wasn't even completely over yet. Though she'd known Bobby for a few months, they'd only started dating a month earlier. She hadn't originally intended to introduce Krista to Bobby so fast. But her babysitting plans had fallen through. Her best friend Jackie was supposed to keep Krista for the night, but she'd been called in to work for the night and was on her way to drop Krista off. Lily had decided against cancelling her date with Bobby and just going ahead with their introductions.

Bobby noticed her laughing at him. "What's so funny?"

"Would you stop pacing? Please?" Lily said. "Stop worrying. She's gonna love you."

"I've never really dealt with kids before." Bobby said.

"You want some advice?" Lily asked.

"Yes. Please." Bobby said eagerly. "What do you got?"

"Three things. Number one, Sesame Street is the best place in the entire world. You want to get on the inside with her, watch some Big Bird and Elmo with her."

Bobby nodded. "Think I can handle that."

"Number two. She's a smart kid. She's only four, but she already reads like a first grader. Read with her. You read one page, let her read the next."

"Sounds simple enough. What's the third?"

Lily smiled again. "She's a kid. She can smell fear. Calm. The hell. Down."

Bobby scowled a little, then shook his head and started to sit down. Before he made it to the couch, the front door opened and Bobby saw a streak come inside. Jackie, who Bobby had met a couple times before, stood in the doorway.

"Hi, mommy!" Krista said from the couch.

"Hey, kiddo. Did you have fun?"

"A little." Krista said. "I had to come home too soon."

"Sorry about that, baby girl. I gotta go to work." Jackie said.

"I know. It's okay. Can we make cookies next time?"

"Double batch. See you later, alligator."

"After a while, crocodile." Krista answered.

Jackie blew a kiss to Krista, who promptly returned it. Krista then noticed the stranger in the living room and sat back against her mother to take stock of him. Jackie quickly touched Bobby's shoulder and said apologetically,

"Sorry to mess up your night."

"It's fine. Have fun." Bobby said.

"Same to you." 

Without another word, Jackie turned and left, leaving Lily, Krista, and Bobby alone. After an awkward silence, Lily took the lead.

"Krissy, this is mommy's friend. His name is Mr. Manning."

"No, it most certainly isn't." Bobby said. "My name's Bobby."

"Hi." Krista said quietly, waving from her mother's lap. "I'm Krista."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Krista." Bobby cautiously took a seat next to the two of them and offered his hand, which Krista promptly shook.

"Nice to meet you too." Krista answered politely.

"So I see you have some Sesame Street videos over there. I've actually never seen it. Would you mind introducing me?"

Krista's eyes lit up and she turned towards her mother. "Can we, mommy?"

Lily sighed. "You may watch one while I make dinner, one while we're eating dinner, and then one after I put your pajamas on before you go to bed. And if you tell me how many videos that is, I'll let you read two stories instead of just one before you go to sleep."

Krista bit her bottom lip as she counted on her fingers. Bobby immediately noticed that she looked exactly like her mother when she did that. Krista found her answer.

"Three."

"Very good." Lily said, lifting Lily up and placing her on the couch beside Bobby. "I'm going to start dinner."

"You need some help, babe?" Bobby asked.

"Yes. I need your help right here. Keeping her entertained." Lily quickly kissed Krista, who jumped off the couch and over to the video case. Lily took advantage of the moment and whispered to Bobby, before giving him a kiss of his own, "Thank you. And stop worrying. You'll be fine."

Before he could object, Lily stood up and went to the kitchen to start on dinner. She'd been planning on making a complex meal she'd spotted in a cookbook, but opted instead for something she knew would be a hit with Krista. After the spaghetti was done and had been drained, she peeked into the living room before starting on the sauce. She heard Oscar the Grouch talking, and Bobby ask a question from the couch.

"He seems kinda mean."

"He's not mean. He just likes to pretend that he is." Krista explained.

"Oh. I see."

Lily smiled, her heart soaring at the sight. It was that moment that she knew the truth. _I'm gonna marry this man. _Lily turned back to the stove, quickly made a sauce for the spaghetti, and took plates out to the living room. An hour and a half later, after watching two more Sesame Street videos, changing Krista into pajamas, and conning Bobby into a third story, Lily laid down what she called 'the mommy law'.

"Time for sleeping, little dove."

"I'm not seepy." Krista objected, even though she yawned as she said it.

"Well, you know the rule. You don't have to sleep, but you do have to lay down, be quiet, and not get up for any reason except using the potty."

"Okay, mommy. Night night."

"Good night, turtledove. I love you."

"Love you more." Krista said. "Bobby, we got a house rule mommy didn't tell you 'bout."

"Oh, yeah?" Bobby asked from the doorway. "What's that?"

"I can't go to sleep till you give me a good night kiss."

"Wow. That rule's so secret even mommy didn't know about it." Lily said.

"Seems reasonable." Bobby crossed the room in two steps, leaned down, and kissed Krista's cheek. "Good night, kiddo."

"Night. Mommy, don't forget."

"I know. Leave the door cracked and the hall light on."

"And make sure all the doors are locked."

"Yes, ma'am. Mommy's going to bed herself now."

"'Kay. Sleep good, mommy." 

"You too."

With one last kiss and one last 'mommy loves you', Lily signaled to Bobby to go to the hallway. By the time she made it to Krista's door and looked back, Krista's eyes were already closed. _Sweet dreams, my sweet girl, _Lily thought to herself. When she got the hallway, Lily grabbed Bobby's hand and led him to her room.

"So? Was it as bad as you thought?"

"Krista or Sesame Street?" Bobby joked.

"Both." Lily laughed.

"She's an amazing kid." Bobby said seriously. "I just hope she likes me as much as I do her."

"She loves you." Lily said. "If she didn't like you, she would've spent the entire night hanging on to my leg."

"Does she ever talk about her dad?"

"Sometimes." Lily said. "Unfortunately, it's mostly when she's had a nightmare about him. I still feel stupid for not seeing that he hurt her like he did."

"Hey. You can't blame yourself for that." Bobby said. "You're an amazing mom."

"Thanks." Lily said. "But you heard me tell Krista that mommy has gone to bed for the night. That means that Lily and Bobby have some time to themselves."

"Ooo. I like the sound of that."

"Well, let's take advantage of it then." Lily said with a grin.

"Yes, ma'am." Bobby answered.

"Stay here. I'm going to check and make sure all the doors are locked first."

"'Kay. I'll be right here."

Lily left the room, and couldn't help but think _I hope you mean that for forever. Not just right now. _


	3. Growing Up is Hard to Do

**A/N: This chapter turned out to be much longer than I was thinking, but I like the way it turned out. I am including a warning, though-this chapter deals with the issue of the fear of school shootings. Krista overhears two students talking about planning a school shooting, and reports what she heard to Bobby and the team, who work to stop it. I'm actually surprised this topic wasn't covered in the original show, but I wanted to be clear on what this chapter was about. **

"Alright, kiddo. Let's go. Five minutes and we're out the door!" Bobby called down the hallway.

"Coming!" Krista came out of the hallway, backpack in one hand, lunch in the other. "Ready."

"Okay. Checklist. Backpack?"

"Got it." Krista said, holding up her backpack for proof.

"Homework?"

"Done and packed up."

"Lunch?"

"Peanut butter and jelly, banana, two cookies, juice box." Krista recited proudly. She'd been championing to make her own lunch for weeks, and Bobby finally gave in.

"Very impressive." Bobby said.

"Thanks. Your turn."

"Hit me." Bobby said.

"Keys?"

"Got 'em."

"Wallet?"

"Check."

"Badge?"

"Check."

"Jacket?"

"Right there on the hook." Bobby said, reaching behind him to grab it. "We good to go?"

"Almost." Krista said. "Did you think about what we talked about last night?"

Bobby squirmed. "I don't know, kiddo."

"Come on."

"Look, I'm not saying no. Just…not yet. Give me some time." Bobby said gently to a disappointed Krista. 

"How much time?"

"Remind me again at the end of the week." Bobby said. "It's Monday, give me 'till Friday."

Krista huffed a little, frustrated. She was ten years old, and she wanted to walk to school instead of having to have Bobby take her or ride the school bus. Her school was only four blocks away, and it took a lot longer to wait for the bus to get there than it did for her to just walk. She had argued that the night before, only to be met with the dreaded 'I'll think about it' and 'We'll see'.

"Hey. I know it's a lot to ask. Just give me one week."

"And you'll say yes?" Krista asked hopefully.

"Maybe."

"Okay." Krista said.

"Okay. Come on. Let's go."

Krista didn't bring up the walking to school argument again on the short journey to her classroom, and Bobby rewarded her by promising her favorite dinner that night. After reassuring her again he would honestly think about it, he wished her a good day and headed down to his office.

He wanted to say yes. He knew he spoiled Krista, but he hated it when he had to say no. With all the things he saw on his job, he did his best to not be overprotective. He had one solid reason for holding off on giving his approval. The thought of her being out in the open like that, even for just a few blocks, terrified him. Lily had been out in a public place when she died, walking down the street with quite a few people around. If Lily couldn't be safe out in the open, why should he think Krista would be?

Bobby was still thinking about the problem when he walked into the office. He walked straight to the coffeepot and poured himself a cup, so stuck in his own mind that he didn't hear Sue walk up to him.

"Hey, Bobby."

"Oh. Hey."

"You look like you got something on your mind." Sue said. "You wanna talk about it?"

Bobby started to say no, before Lucy and Tara walked in right behind Sue. "Could I ask you guys for some advice?"

"Sure. Lay it on us." Lucy invited.

"It's Krista. She really wants to walk to school in the morning and afternoon, but I'm not so sure."

"Why not?" Tara asked. "What scares you about it?"

Bobby felt his heart twinge a little before answering. "Lily. She was walking down the street alone when she died. Every time I think about saying yes, all I can see is Lily getting shot walking down the street."

"Oh." Tara said, not sure how to respond.

"I don't want to make her scared to do it, but I'm terrified something bad's gonna happen to her."

Sue grabbed Bobby's hand. "You really want my advice? You might not like it."

"Yeah. I do." Bobby said. "What do you think?"

"I know you miss Lily. I can see that in the way you talk about her. But you have to think about this. Do you want Krista to not do things because she's scared?"

"No. No, I don't." Bobby said honestly.

"Look, my mom felt the same way. She would let my brothers walk to school starting in the third grade, but I had to walk with her or one of them."

"How'd you convince her? I thought you said your mom was hell bent on you being completely normal."

"When it came to most stuff, she was. But she really didn't want me going places by myself. Too scared I wouldn't hear someone coming up behind me, or hear a car coming or something. And I don't think I ever really did convince her. I caught her following me a couple times. But I asked her if I let her walk with me for a few days, go over what to do when I crossed the street, the route to take, and recite the safety rules until I could do them in my sleep, would she be more willing to let me do it."

Bobby nodded. "That's a good idea. Thanks, Sue."

"My pleasure."

Bobby formulated the plan in the background of his brain as the team went about their day. They picked up a case, and just as they were about to discuss it, Lucy got Bobby's attention.

"Bobby, it's Krista's school. They need you to pick her up."

Bobby took the phone, and the team started to discuss the case, until Bobby let out a surprised shout. "What?!...Yeah, I'll be right there."

As Bobby slammed the phone down, Jack asked, "Everything okay, buddy?"

"No." Bobby picked up his jacket and shoved it on with much more force than necessary. "Krista just got suspended."

"What? What for?"

"She got in a fight. Her principal said she jumped some kid and bloodied his nose."

"Okay, just don't overreact 'till you hear the whole story." Jack advised. Krista was a smart kid, and it just wasn't in her nature to fight with anyone.

"Yeah, I'll try." Bobby said.

The team went forward with their case, and Bobby came back a little while later with an upset Krista. The only person left behind in the office was Myles, who was somewhat surprised to see Bobby firmly plant Krista into his desk chair and speak with an unusually rough, authoritative tone.

"Sit here. Do not move, do not talk, do not so much as blink without my permission."

"When are you gonna let me tell you what happened?" Krista asked angrily.

"I know what happened. You broke a kid's nose. We'll be lucky if his parents don't press charges."

"Bobby…" 

"I need to calm down before I can talk to you. Sit here and start on your homework. I'll be back soon." Bobby started to leave before he thought of something. "And I wouldn't count on walking to school by yourself. Or anywhere else for that matter."

Bobby turned and left without another word to Krista. Krista, not used to the normally patient Bobby being so upset with her, pulled her legs into the chair and covered her face with her hands to cry. Myles awkwardly watched the now crying Krista, not sure to say or even if he should say anything. Just as he turned back to work, Krista approached him.

"I need your help." The story Krista told him made Myles made the hair on his arm stand up. When she was done, Krista swallowed and asked desperately, "Bobby's too mad to listen to me. Are you gonna help me?"

"Yes." The normally sarcastic Myles put a hand on her arm for comfort. "Yes. I'll help you. We'll fix this, okay?"

Krista smiled in relief. She'd tried to share her story with her principle first, then Bobby, but no one would listen to her. Had it been any other situation, she might have just waited for Bobby to calm down and talked to him later. But she couldn't do that now. If she waited, her friends might get hurt. Or worse.

"Sit back down. I'm gonna call everyone back here and talk to them."

Krista nodded. "Thank you."

"Here. I'm gonna show you something, but you can't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Okay. What is it?"

Myles reached into his bottom desk drawer, pulled out some file folders out, then pulled out a bowl of candy that Krista had never seen before.

"Go on." Myles said. "Take some. But like I said, don't tell anyone."

"Thanks." Krista said, pulling two Snickers bars out of the bowl.

"If you're ever upset, and can get to this without anyone finding you, go for it. If the office is full, just let me know and I'll sneak it to you."

"Deal."

Myles wanted to comfort Krista a little more, but the situation was pressing. He called the team back, including a reluctant Bobby, who crossed his arms over his chest and avoided looking at Krista. He couldn't help it. He was angry. Something like this could affect not only Krista, but possibly his job as well.

"Alright. Bobby, I know your temper's a little frayed right now, but you need to listen to what she has to say. No interrupting. Agreed?"

"Look, Myles, Krista and I will talk about this later…"

"Bobby. Shut up." Myles said evenly, leaving a stunned Bobby in his wake. "Krista, go on. Tell them what you told me."

Krista suddenly got shy. She knew all the agents Bobby worked with, and most of them had known her since she was four years old. But she could feel Bobby's anger still radiating off him.

"You want me to do it?" Myles offered.

"Yes, please." Krista said quietly.

"Okay." Myles patted her shoulder, attempting to be comforting, and the rest of the room realized that this was serious. Myles turned back to them and started the briefing. "Krista was walking the hall at school this morning and she overheard two students talking about planning a school shooting."

Bobby's face fell. "What? Why didn't you tell me that?"

Krista's guilt and sadness turned into irritation. "Because you dragged me out of the office like you were arresting _me_."

"Kiddo, I'm sorry…" 

"Later, Bobby." Jack said. "We need to get some details."

Bobby nodded. "Right."

Myles started to talk again, but Krista had gained back her courage. "I was walking the hall because I had to go to the bathroom. I heard two kids talking and at first I was just gonna ignore it and go to the bathroom. I figured if they were skipping class I didn't want to get in trouble with them."

"Smart girl." Lucy said.

"Thanks. Anyway, I started to go in the bathroom when I heard one of them say they had a gun in their backpack and they were gonna bring it to school tomorrow. I started to turn around and go to the office to tell Mrs. Lacey what they'd said. One of them ran over to me and knocked me down."

Bobby didn't think it was possible, but his guilt was threatening to choke him even more than it already had. Krista hadn't told him she'd been hurt in the fight too.

"What'd you do after that?" Jack coaxed.

"I tried to tell him to get off me, but he put his hand on my mouth. Then he threatened me." 

"He threatened you?" Bobby asked, voice rising in worry and protective anger. "What did he say?"

"He said if I kept my mouth shut, I'd be safe. But if I told anyone, I'd be the first one."

"The first one to what?" Tara asked.

"I don't know. I got scared. I bit his hand and tried to get away. He grabbed me again and I turned around and punched him in the nose. I guess I got a little carried away because I punched him a couple times. But he started screaming at me to get off of him and that's when the teachers came out."

"Way to go, kiddo!" Lucy said, crossing the room and offering Krista a high five.

"I'll second that. Good job." Tara replied, offering the same high five.

"Krista, what was the name of the two boys you heard talking?" Jack asked.

"Kyle Friedman and Jake Pierce. Kyle's the one who jumped on me."

"Okay. You did good, sweetie. Really, really good. You're gonna stay here 'till we get this sorted out, okay?"

"Sure." Krista said. "Guys, please do something about them. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

"We're going now to take care of this." Dimitrius said, speaking for the first time since they'd all come back. "But I think I speak for the whole room, kiddo, when I say how brave you are. All of us are proud of you."

"Really?" Krista asked, finally turning her attention to Bobby, hopeful.

"Really." Bobby answered.

Bobby wanted to get on his knees and beg Krista's forgiveness, but he decided instead to go after 'the little punk' who had threatened Krista. Mrs. Lacey, quite surprised to see Bobby again, was, of course, unpleasantly surprised by what he had to tell her.

"I'll have my secretary get you their address." Mrs. Lacey said. "I imagine Kyle's still at the hospital."

"We'll check there too. Mrs. Lacey, let me ask, what are these two boys like? Do they have a disciplinary record?"

"Jake doesn't. He's usually a very good kid. Kyle, on the other hand, is quite the handful."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say he spends more time in the hallway skipping class and in my office than in his classroom." Mrs. Lacey said.

The secretary came in and handed Mrs. Lacey the addresses she was looking for.

"Thank you." Mrs. Lacey said. She handed the address to Jack and asked, "Do you think I should evacuate the school?"

"We don't want to start a panic, especially since both boys have gone home now."

"Okay. Please let me know what happens. And Mr. Manning, please apologize to Krista for me. I feel terrible not giving her more of a chance to explain herself this morning. And of course her suspension will be revoked right away."

"Thank you. I have to apologize to her myself." Bobby said. "I'm gonna keep her out for today, though, until all this is straightened out."

"Of course. I understand."

Jack and Bobby headed outside. Bobby felt his heart slamming in his chest, his mind running through the possibilities of what could have happened if Krista hadn't overheard the conversation between the two boys in the hallway. The call to the office could have been much different.

"Bobby, hold on."

"Jack, we need to go now."

"I know. But I need you to let me take the lead here."

"No way."

"Bobby, listen. I need you to be an agent here, not a father. I shouldn't even let you be doing this right now. If Garrett knew, you'd be riding a desk 'till this was over."

"Jack, come on…"

"Just promise me you won't pummel the kid."

Bobby sighed. "Yeah. Alright."

"Bobby…."

"I said fine." Bobby snapped.

"Look, I know you're worried." Jack said.

"You're damn right I'm worried, Jack." Bobby said, hand smacking the top of the car in frustration. "What would have happened if she hadn't told me about this? If she had decided to not talk to me or Myles?"

"We can't focus on that, Bobby." Jack said. "She did come to us and she did tell us. Right now, we need to go take care of this. Then you and me'll stop at the bakery on the way back to the office."

"The bakery?"

"Don't you think it'll be easier to apologize with a cheesecake from Mac's?"

Bobby smiled. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Back at the office, Krista was trying to finish her homework, but she couldn't. It was too hard to concentrate. What if she'd been too late? What if her friends were in trouble? Should she have tried harder to tell her story to Bobby or to Mrs. Lacey when she was pulled into the office?

And, the thought that made her cringe, what would her mother think?

It had been four years since her mom died. She remembered the day all too well. She tried to forget it, but sometimes it was all she could think about. Her mom putting her to sleep the night it happened. Telling her she was going out and that Bobby would be staying with her. Telling her she loved her more than anything else and that no matter what, that would never, ever change.

A picture on Bobby's desk caught Krista's attention. She picked it up and took a long look at it. It had been taken at Bobby and Lily's wedding. Lily was holding Krista between herself and Bobby, who each kissed one of Krista's cheeks. Krista had one arm around Bobby's neck and one arm around Lily's. Krista held the picture in her hands and stared at it for a while, until something touching her leg made her jump.

"Oh. Hi, Levi." Levi whined slightly. "It's okay, buddy."

"How you doing?"

Krista looked up to find Sue standing there with two cups in her hand, one of which she handed to Krista. "Thanks."

"How are you?" Sue repeated.

"Nervous." Krista said. "Scared."

"Dimitrius was right. What you did was very brave."

"I just hope I did it in time." Krista said. She turned the picture to Sue and explained, "I wonder what my mom would think about this."

"She'd be just as proud as all of us. Maybe even more so."

"I miss her. A lot."

"I know." Sue said. "I know you do."

"Have you heard from Bobby?"

"He called a few minutes ago. Said he and Jack were on the way to talk to Kyle. Dimitrius and Myles are on their way to talk to Jake."

"Do you know what's gonna happen to them?"

"I don't know." Sue said. "But because of you, neither of them will be able to hurt anyone."

Krista nodded. "You're right."

"Look, I noticed you were having a hard time concentrating on your homework. Do you want to go to the park with me and Lucy? We'll get a hot dog and let Levi get some exercise."

"Bobby wanted me to stay here. I don't want to get in any more trouble with him."

"I called and asked him. He said it was okay." Sue said. "Come on. It's not good to sit inside all day."

"Okay." Krista placed the picture back on Bobby's desk, then turned and pointed at Levi. "You take my hot dog, you're buying me another one."

Levi barked in agreement, nudged Krista's hand, and followed Sue and Krista out the door, downstairs to meet Lucy. While Sue and Lucy took Krista's mind off the situation, Bobby couldn't do the same. He stood in the doorway of Kyle Friedman's house, being confronted by his very angry mother.

"Agent _Manning_? As in Krista Manning, the little girl my son says broke his nose this morning?"

"Look, I know tempers are flaring right now, but can we come inside and discuss this?" Jack asked. "We're actually here about something else, Mrs. Friedman."

"Please do. And it's Jackson." As Bobby and Jack walked in, Ms. Jackson asked, "Would you please care to tell me why your daughter attacked my son this morning?"

"Ms. Jackson, is your son at home?"

"He's in his bed resting." Ms. Jackson said. "And I won't answer any questions until you tell me why your daughter attacked my son."

Bobby opened his mouth to argue, only to have Jack place a warning hand on his shoulder. "Ms. Jackson, Krista told us her side of the story this morning. She says she overheard your son and a friend talking about bringing a gun to school and shooting some students."

Bobby expected Ms. Jackson to argue further, but she didn't. Instead, all color drained from her face. "Who was the friend?"

"Jake Pierce." Bobby answered.

"Damn it." Ms. Jackson answered. "I told Kyle to stay away from that kid."

"The principal says that Jake's a good kid."

"He seems to be, yes. But ever since he and my son started to hang out together, Kyle's behavior has gone way off the rails. He was always a handful, but he's beginning to get impossible." Ms. Jackson said.

"So you believe it?" Jack asked.

"I wish I could say I didn't." Ms. Jackson sighed. "Kyle's father went to prison a few months ago. He mugged someone and shot them. Kyle always admired his father."

"You think he admired him to the point of wanting to imitate him?"

"I don't know. But I'll help you find out." Ms. Jackson turned towards the hallway and called loudly. "Kyle, get your butt in here! Now!"

"Ms. Jackson, we really need to…" Bobby started to say.

"Agent Manning, please just trust me. And I can't say how sorry I am for this."

"Ma? What's going on?" a nervous Kyle said as he stood next to his mother.

"You tell me. These two gentleman are FBI agents."

"FBI? Is something wrong with dad?"

"As far as I know, your father's fine. They're here about you."

"Me?"

"That's right. You see, this is agent Hudson, and this is agent Manning."

Kyle's face drained of color, just like his mother's had earlier. "M…Manning?"

"That's right. He's Krista's father. He told me a much different story than you did. I want to know the truth. Right now."

"I told you the truth, mom…" Kyle said, though he couldn't look at his mother when he said it.

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're telling the truth."

Kyle looked up to his mother, and Bobby saw an immediate change in him. As much as he wanted to strangle Kyle for jumping on Krista and threatening her, he left it alone. His mother seemed more than capable of drawing out the truth out of her son.

"Jake was getting teased at school. A lot. I told him I could help him, make it so no one would ever tease him again."

"And how exactly were you planning to do that?" When Kyle didn't respond, Ms. Jackson guessed, "You were going to take a gun to school and what? Shoot the ones picking on Jake?"

"We were just gonna scare 'em."

"Listen to me and listen to me very well, young man. I love you more than anything else in this world. But you are not turning into your father. You are going to accept your responsibility in this, no matter what that means. And if, by some miracle, you are allowed to go back to school, and you ever threaten Krista or another little girl again, then after I get through with you, I will turn you over to agent Manning here. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Agent Hudson, agent Manning, tell me what you need."

After another two hours, both boys were in custody, and the situation was under control for now. It was getting dark, and Bobby headed back to the office. Krista was sitting at his desk, working on her homework, with Levi sitting at her feet trying to get her attention. Krista turned when she noticed Bobby coming back.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. We took care of it." Bobby said.

"Good."

"Listen, kiddo. I'm really sorry about this morning. I should've listened to you more."

"It's okay." Krista said.

"No. No, it's not. Don't let me do that to you, okay? If I'm not listening to you, call me on it. Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay. Now, I have something for you. Couple things, actually." Bobby took the cheesecake from Jack and placed it in front of Krista. 

"Wow! My favorite! Thanks!"

"You're welcome, kiddo." Bobby said. "I've also been thinking about you walking to school."

"And?" 

Bobby sighed. "And as much as it worries me, I think you've definitely proven you can take care of yourself."

"Does that mean it's a yes?"

"_After _I walk with you for a few days. And we have a long talk about safety and the rules. Then it's a yes."

Krista jumped up and grabbed Bobby in a hug. "YES! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome, kiddo. Come on, let's go home."

"I love you, Bobby."

The events of the day made Bobby hold Krista a little tighter than normal. "I love you too, kiddo. I love you so much."


	4. Flashback: Krista's Sick Day

**Flashback: Krista's Sick Day **

Bobby stood in the flower shop, struggling to figure out what to get for Lily. It was their three-month anniversary. The best three months of his life. Bobby selected a bouquet for Lily, then moved on to picking something out for Krista. Bobby knew her favorite color was pink, so he picked out one pink rose, one pink tulip, and one pink lily for Krista. As he went to the register to pay, his cell phone rang.

"Hello, lovely." Bobby answered.

"Hey, you." Lily said. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"Something wrong?"

"Yeah. I have to cancel for tonight. Krista has a stomach flu. She's been throwing up all day and hasn't stopped."

"Oh, no. Is she okay?"

"Yeah. I took her to the doctor this afternoon. He said to keep her hydrated and she should get over it by tomorrow. But we're both exhausted and I have a feeling we'll be heading to bed early. Raincheck?" Lily asked hopefully.

"Sure thing. Tell Krista I said to feel better." 

"I will. I'll call you tomorrow if she's feeling better, maybe we can have dinner or something?"

"Sure. Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight."

Bobby hung up the phone, the disappointment stinging and real. He'd been with Lily every night since they started dating. He hadn't even been to his apartment at all in three days. Bobby informed the cashier that he'd changed his mind on the purchase, then turned around and left the store. Thinking about what he would do that night instead, Bobby got an idea when he spotted a drug store across the street. Leaving a few minutes later armed with Gatorade, chicken soup, crackers, Pepto-Bismol, ginger ale, and a pink blanket, Bobby made his way to Lily and Krista's.

"Come on, honey. Just try a little, okay."

"Not hungry, mommy."

"I know, sweetie. Just drink a little juice, okay?" Before Krista could protest again, the doorbell rang. "I'll be right back, baby." _Who the hell is this_, she thought as she went to answer the door. "Bobby?"

"I know you said we were cancelled, but I thought you could use some of this."

Lily took the bag from Bobby and nearly wept. She hadn't wanted to leave the house with Krista so sick, so she'd been doing her best with what she had to work with. But Bobby's bag was like a survival kit for the stomach flu. She had thought about calling and asking him to pick up things for Krista, but they had only been dating for three months. She felt awkward asking him to help take care of a sick child that wasn't his when they weren't even engaged.

"Can I come in?"

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry." Lily moved out of the way to let Bobby inside. "Hey, kiddo. Look who's here."

"Hi, Bobby."

"Hey, you." Bobby handed Lily his jacket, who hung it up behind the door. "How you feeling?"

"Not so good."

"I see that." Bobby said sympathetically.

"Mommy's going to fix you some soup, okay?"

"Mommy, please, no."

"You only have to eat the broth." Lily said. "It'll help stop you from throwing up again."

Krista was still leery, but she was too sick and weak to fight. "Can I sit in Bobby's lap and watch Sesame Street while you make it?"

"It's up to him." Lily said. "Are you sure about this? You might catch it too."

"I'll take the chance." Bobby said. "Come here, kiddo."

Lily put on one of Krista's videos, and when she went to the kitchen, Krista was in Bobby's lap, lying underneath a blanket, holding a stuffed puppy that Bobby had given her for her fifth birthday just two weeks before. She was sucking her thumb, a habit she had long since stopped, except when she was exceptionally hurt or sick. Lily prepared the soup and brought out a bowl, only to find Krista already fast asleep on Bobby's lap. Bobby shrugged apologetically.

"I tried to convince her to wait until…"

Lily put the bowl down on the end table. "It's okay. I can heat it up later. She needs to sleep. Here, let me put her to bed."

"Let her stay a while." Bobby said. "Make sure she's not going to wake up."

Lily smiled. "You're a good man. You know that?"

"Aww, this is nothing."

"It isn't nothing. This is everything." Lily said. "She can stay for an hour, then she goes to bed."

"Deal."

An hour later, Lily tucked Krista into bed before returning to Bobby. She cleaned the bowl of uneaten soup from the table, then walked into the living room and sat down next to Bobby.

"Thank you." Lily said. "I can't tell you how much that bag helped today."

"My pleasure." Bobby said.

Lily had never been a spontaneous person. She tried to plan every detail of her life. It was just the way she was. But there was one decision she didn't have to plan. She knew what she wanted now.

"You liked taking care of Krista, didn't you?"

Bobby smiled. "Yeah. I did. Is that weird? Liking taking care of her when she's sick?"

"Not at all." Lily said. "It means you like that she needs you."

"Well, it's a good feeling." Bobby said.

"I have a question for you. You don't have to answer right away, and it's okay if the answer is no right now. But I want you to think about it."

"What is it?" Bobby asked.

"We've been together every night since we started dating. Right?" 

"Right."

"I love you, you love me. Right?"

Bobby was too stunned to respond at first. Neither of them had said _I love you_ to each other yet. But he couldn't deny that it was true.

"Right."

"How would you like to make this permanent?"

"Permanent. You mean…?"

"I mean, will you marry me?" A stunned Bobby sputtered, his mouth moving up and down but no sound was coming out. Lily giggled and said, "I do believe I've left you speechless."

"I'll say."

"Look, forget it, it was a stupid idea. We've only been dating for three months, it's too soon…" Lily backtracked, embarrassed.

"But I like it."

"You…you like it? What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm saying yes." Bobby said. "Let's do it. Let's get married."

"Did we just get engaged?" Lily asked.

"I think we did."

"Well then, let's go to bed." Lily said. "We'll start talking about details in the morning."

"Deal." Bobby reached over and turned out the small living room lamp, then pulled Lily to him. "Hey. I gotta tell you something."

"What's that?"

"I love you."

"Love you too." Lily said. "Love you too."


End file.
